Red dragonflight
| leader = Alexstrasza the Life-Binder | height = Varies by species and age | alignment = Lawful good; Usually good }} *'Leader:' Alexstrasza the Life-Binder *'Domain:' Creation, Life *'Breath:' Fire *'Locations:' **The Wetlands surrounding Grim Batol **Hyjal Summit **Wyrmrest Temple, The Dragonblight The Red Dragonflight, ruled by the Dragonqueen, Alexstrasza, is a noble and honorable group of creatures. They consider themselves the protectors of all life, and in many ways they are. More often than not, they are found protecting sacred areas and items, seeking to keep them from lesser beings who might be hurt by their energies. Their breath is a fearsome stream of fire, and they have been known to swallow enemies whole and slowly digest them over the course of a day. Their most hated enemies are the black dragons ruled by the great, dark leviathan, Deathwing. Age Groups and Dragonspawn *Red whelp *Red drake *Red dragon (mature) *Red wyrm *Red dragonspawn Culture As with the other flights, the reds are utterly loyal to their Aspect, Alexstrasza. Her consorts, such as Tyranastrasz and Korialstrasz, are treated with great respect, by the reds and the other flights. The Reds are typically the only dragons mortals are likely to encounter, with the exception of the druidic allies of the greens. Like all dragons, they take their charges seriously and usually operate in secret, keeping tabs on important beings, organizations, and places, such as Cenarius, Dalaran, and the Scourge. As a result, the Red Dragonflight's agents are often away, spreading themselves throughout Azeroth, and using their powers to disguise themselves as members of the mortal races, such as humans or elves. Like all dragons, the Reds have the ability to create illusions on themselves and others. Often the dragons have mortals, dragonsworn, working on gathering information or doing other related errands. All this is done to maintain harmony and the prosperity of life, the task entrusted to them. Due to Alexstrasza's influence, the Red Dragonflight see themselves as the defenders and custodians of all life on Azeroth. Red Dragons understand the secrets of life, and in turn those of death, like none others do, and have been granted great power over both. They are capable of rejuvenating and draining life, as well as performing a form of necromancy, though they are not fond of doing so, only as a last resort. The breath of red dragons burns but also rejuvenates, and whenever a red dragon walks or breaths upon the soil the earth is renewed. While red dragons are the defenders of life, they will not hesitate to kill a creature if its actions endanger other lives. Many members of the red flight still remain distrustful towards mortals, especially the orcs, citing they have brought only danger and death to the world. Generally, though, red dragons are friendly to humans, elves, and their other traditional allies; for the most part, it is the representatives of the flight near Grim Batol who are strangely hostile to any outsiders. The drake Axtroz and the dragonspawn located there will attack adventurers on sight. Language Red dragons speak primarily Draconic and Common, but will often learn a wide variety of languages. Ties to the Alliance Following her release from Grim Batol, Alexstrasza showed her undying gratitude by giving an oath to three of the Alliance races: :'' 'Yes...' Alexstrasza dipped her head toward the trio. 'Human Rhonin, elf, and dwarf! I thank all three of you for your parts in this, and know that as long as I am queen, my kind will never be an enemy to yours...' It should be noted that this oath does not grant humans, high elves and dwarves immunity from the Red Dragonflight, only that a state of friendship exists. History Charge of the Dragonflights Satisfied that the small world had been ordered and that their work was done, the Titans prepared to leave Azeroth. But before they departed, they charged the greatest species of the world with the task of watching over Kalimdor. In that age, there were many dragonflights. Yet there were five flights that held dominion over their brethren. It was these five flights that the Titans chose to shepherd the budding world. The greatest members of the Pantheon imbued a portion of their power upon each of the flights' leaders. Eonar, the Titan patron of all life, gave a portion of her power to the red leviathan, Alexstrasza. Ever after, Alexstrasza would be known as the Life-Binder, and she would work to safeguard all living creatures within the world. Due to her supreme wisdom and limitless compassion for all living things, Alexstrasza was crowned the Dragonqueen and given dominion over her kind. War of the Ancients During the War of the Ancients the reds, along with the other dragonflights, sought a way to push back the Burning Legion. Neltharion presented the other aspects with the tool to do just that: The Demon Soul, then known as the Dragon Soul. The weapon required all dragons to give up and impart within it a portion of their power. Unknown to the other flights Neltharion had gone mad, planned to betray the others, and he and his flight didn't make the same sacrifice the others had. The dragons joined in flight over the battle and the Black Aspect unleashed the ''Dragon Soul's power against the demons with devastating effects on the demonic swarm. He then shocked his fellow aspects when he made his betrayal known and turned the device on the elven defenders and their allies. The other flights rushed to stop the mad aspect, but were unable to act against the disk Neltharion held. The power they had placed in it placed them at its master's mercy. Malygos and his flight managed to break free and attempted to stop the black leviathan and destroy the Demon Soul, but they failed to do so. Neltharion decimated the blue dragonflight, and banished the Reds, Greens, and Bronze from the battle. Though the legion was ultimately pushed back, the damage to the dragon race had been done. After the Sundering The ensuing civil war between the black dragonflight and the other flights decimated the species, with all flights losing members, and the reds were no exception. The dragonflights hunted the blacks to the brink of extinction. , but were greatly weakened by their sacrifice to the Demon Soul. Ultimately the blacks were nearly wiped out, though the other flights never truly recovered from those dark times and were never again seen in the same numbers as before. The Age of the Dragons had passed. Immediately after the sundering, to ensure Deathwing would never hold power over dragonkind again, Alexstrasza, Ysera, and Nozdormu placed an enchantment upon the Demon Soul, so that no dragon, including Deathwing, could wield it, and hid the foul disc deep beneath the earth. The trio then visited the Night Elven survivors to present a gift, for they had lost more than any other race. She produced a single enchanted acorn, taken from the Mother Tree G'Hanir, and placed it within the newly created Well of Eternity atop Mount Hyjal. The acorn, activated by the potent, magical waters, sprung to life as a colossal tree whose mighty roots grew from the well's waters, and its verdant canopy seemed to scrape the roof of the sky. The tree also received blessings from Ysera and Nozdormu. It would safeguard the new Well of Eternity from discovery and come to be known as Nordrassil, the World Tree. War of the Shifting Sands A thousand years before modern times, the red dragons lent their aid to the Night Elves and the Bronze Dragonflight during the War of the Shifting Sands. Led by Caelestrasz, child of Alexstrasza, the reds fought the Silithid and their Qiraji masters furiously and ultimately helped push them back to their city where they were sealed away from the world. The dragons suffered few casualties but the progeny of Alexstrasza, Caelestrasz, was until recently believed lost, having charged deep into Ahn'Qiraj during the final push. After the war a shard of the Scepter of the Shifting Sands was entrusted to the red wyrm Vaelastrasz by Anachronos the bronze. The Second War During the Second War, the Black Aspect finally found a way to conquer his greatest foe. Deathwing could not wield the Demon Soul but it could be placed in the hands of one that would further his agenda. A orc shaman named Zuluhed the Whacked received strange visions of a powerful artifact deep within the earth and with Doomhammer's permission he took his clan to search for their source. Zuluhed came upon the Demon Soul and took it for the Horde, but while he sensed the disk had the power to raise mountains and evaporate oceans, it was unresponsive to his shamanistic powers. The device was passed down to his lieutenant: the warlock Nekros Skullcrusher, whose magic the disk eagerly reciprocated. Zuluhed and his clan searched for weeks for the dragons, finally spoting a lone wounded red male. They followed the sole dragon back to the red dragonflight's lair, a high mountain peak, where they came upon the Dragonqueen Alexstrasza herself, roosting with three of her consorts. The Red Aspect immediately incinerated four orc warriors but before she could do anything more Nekros invoked the dark powers of the disk and subdued her. The Dragonmaw Clan used the Demon Soul to enslave Alexstrasza and a large portion of her flight. From capture to escape, an eight year span, Alexstrasza was forced to create more dragons to service the Horde in the war, and she cried for the deaths of her children and the deaths they caused. Two of her consorts did not survive long, one perishing while trying to escape over the sea and the other dying of injuries inflicted by Deathwing, while her fourth and youngest avoided capture altogether. This left Alexstrasza with only her prime consort, Tyranastrasz, to produce dragons with for the orcs. She often tried to defy Nekros, but the act of breaking one or more eggs in her presence assured her good behavior. The red dragonflight, once one of the strongest and proudest flights of dragons ever seen, were reduced to little more than the Horde's dogs of war. The Horde quickly learned how to utilize the great leviathans, and the under the command of the orcs they wreaked havoc and bloodshed throughout the lands of the Alliance, committing destructive acts such as setting the forests of Quel'thalas ablaze with dragonfire, and the complete and total desturction of the third fleet of Kul Tiras. The Alliance responded against the orc enslaved dragons with dwarven Gryphon riders, the two often meeting in the dogfights over the fields of Lordaeron and Khaz Modan. Throughout most of the Second War, and even a few years after its end, the settlements of the Alliance lived in constant fear of coming under attack by red dragons. The reds who had avoided capture by the orcs were initially bewildered to find their queen had gone missing. The flight scattered to search for her, becoming easy prey for the vicious Deathwing and his black dragonflight. Isolated, leaderless, and confused, the reds fought back as best they could. When the blacks had been sufficiently pushed back the reds resumed their search and found the orcs were responsible for Alexstrasza and the rest of the flight's disappearance. Her youngest consort, Korialstrasz, disguised as the mage Krasus of the Kirin Tor, sought a way to free his mate. Battle of Grim Batol After the fall of the Horde ending the second war, the Dragonmaw Clan retained a firm grip on Grim Batol and Alexstrasza. Her rescue only became possible when Nekros believed the Alliance planned on invading. Nekros had Alexstrasza (and the eggs) moved out of the mountain fortress and began to move towards Dun Algaz where he believed the bulk of the Dragonmaw Clan was stationed preparing for war. Little did he know he had been manipulated by Deathwing, who desired Alexstrasza's eggs out in the open so he could steal them more easily. When Deathwing appeared Nekros sent Tyranastrasz to face him, but the old red did not last long against the dark aspect. Nekros was then shocked when he was assaulted by an army of Mountain Dwarves, and in the ensuing chaos lost the Demon Soul to Rhonin, a mage of Dalaran sent on a mission to rescue the Dragonqueen by none other than the red dragon Korialstrasz in his mortal guise. Once free of the device's power, Alexstrasza killed Nekros out of pure hatred and drive for revenge. The Demon Soul was then undone, and the power that was vested in it returned to the other aspects. Alexstrasza, along with Malygos, Nozdormu, and Ysera, proceeded to attack Deathwing finally punishing him for his treachery and driving him away. Before giving chase Alexstrasza swore an oath of friendship to Rhonin, Vereesa, Falstad, and their respective races. The Sunwell After the Third War, red and green dragons were sent to Sunwell Grove to investigate and guard the remains of the Sunwell. Korialstrasz took it upon himself to gather the remaning energy of the well and transform it into a living avatar in the form of Anveena Teague, whose identity was revealed by Korialstrasz after an incident involving the traitorous Dar'Khan Drathir trying to claim her power as his own. Current activities After Alexstrasza and the enslaved reds' rescue, the remaining members of the red dragonflight have come out of hiding. It would appear the flight has resumed its regular activities of watching over the mortal races of Azeroth. :* The red dragonflight has a strong presence at Alexstrasza's old prison, Grim Batol. The reds guard the mountain under the leadership of the Wyrm Garshilan, who is assisted by the eager young dragon Acridistrasz, the drake-champion Axtroz (In WoW), and the dragonspawn flametongue captain Baleflame. Further down the mountain the remains of the orcish carvan is teaming with newly hatched red whelps. Explorer Brann Bronzebeard managed to speak with Acridistrasz and was told the reds are "guarding a secret that living creatures are not meant to know." The legions of red dragonspawn found at Grim Batol are eager to guard the remnants of the red dragonflight. :* Caelestrasz, thought to have been lost during the War of the Shifting Sands, was recently found to be alive inside Ahn'Qiraj, as a slave of C'thun, along with Arygos and Merithra. The dark master of Ahn'Qiraj used the tortured dragons to power his new creations: Moam and the other Obsidian destroyers. Kandrostrasz came to Ahn'Qiraj after sensing his trapped brethren within, but dares not travel into the temple from fear of falling under the old god's control. :* The red dragon agent, Vaelastrasz, is working against his rival, Nefarian, in Blackrock Spire. He will assist any adventurers willing to fight against the spawn of Deathwing in gaining access to his inner-most lair, and fight against the Dark Horde. Upon breeching Blackwing Lair, Vaelastrasz succumbs to Nefarian's will and asks to be put out of his misery, lest he further serve the lord of Blackrock. :* Belnistrasz has been captured by the Scourge inside Razorfen Downs while investigating their presence there. He asks any adventurers brave enough to free him to assist him in shutting down the Quilboar's operation there. :* The high elf Garek, mortal servent of the red dragon Korialstrasz, has been spotted in the Badlands, watching over the Black Dragonflight, and searching for assistance in slaying the twin black drakes, Blacklash and Hematus. :* Red dragonflight guardians have been stationed at Hyjal Summit, where they, along with the Blues, Greens, and Bronzes, guard the World Tree from another attack by the remnants of the Burning Legion in Darkwhisper Gorge. Wrath of the Lich King :* The Nexus War has begun. Malygos has declared war upon mortal spellcasters, citing their reckless usage of magic that would inevitably lead to Azeroth's downfall. Charged with the preservation of life, the red dragonflight has condemned the blue's increasingly militaristic methods and vowed to neutralize Malygos at all costs. To this end, they have formed a council with the Kirin Tor, and have begun actively subverting Malygos's campaign in the Borean Tundra. :* Many members of the red flight, including Alexstrsza and her prime consort, can be found at Wyrmrest Temple in the Dragonblight. They lead the Wyrmrest Accord, an alliance of the remaing four dragonflights defending the temple against the blue flight. Recently the undead Scourge has laid siege to the surrounding five dragonshrines in an effort to raise terrifying new variations of undead dragons. To arrest these invasions, Alexstrasza has begun recruiting heroes to aid Ceristrasz and Vargastrasz in the Ruby Dragonshrines defense against the Lich King. Known members Red dragons usually have names ending in "-strasz", or "-strasza" for females. References Category:Red Dragonflight Category:Dragonflights Category:Dragonkin Category:Dragons Category:Lore Category:Wrath of the Lich King fr:Vol rouge